2021 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 2021

The America the Beautiful quarter program ended and a new reverse showing General Washington crossing the Delaware took its place. Morgan and Peace dollars were struck again for their centennial.

New this year: the Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter.

Last year of the America the Beautiful Quarter and the Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter.

How many coins were made in 2021

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 14,497,102,925 coins dated 2021 across 22 issues. That is close to the 2020 total of 14,788,161,059. In 2022 the figure fell to 13,624,006,875.

By mint: Denver 7,441,975,725 (51%, down from 7,696,469,713) and Philadelphia 7,055,127,200 (49%, down from 7,081,691,346).

2021 coins by denomination

Cents: 7,908,620,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Lincoln Shield Cent, up 4.1% on 2020. The scarcest is the 2021 (3,925,820,000) and the most plentiful the 2021-D (3,982,800,000).

Nickels: 1,570,780,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Return to Monticello Nickel, down 3.2% on 2020. The scarcest is the 2021-P (772,780,000) and the most plentiful the 2021-D (798,000,000).

Dimes: 2,830,250,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Roosevelt Dime, up 1.9% on 2020. The scarcest is the 2021-P (1,349,250,000) and the most plentiful the 2021-D (1,481,000,000).

Quarters: 2,168,200,000 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter and America the Beautiful Quarter, down 22% on 2020. The scarcest is the 2021-P Tuskegee Airmen Quarter (160,400,000) and the most plentiful the 2021-D (865,400,000).

Half Dollars: 13,100,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Kennedy Half Dollar, up 130% on 2020. The scarcest is the 2021-P (5,400,000) and the most plentiful the 2021-D (7,700,000).

Dollar Coins: 6,152,925 struck in 10 circulation issues of the American Innovation Dollar and Sacagawea Dollar, down 31% on 2020. The scarcest is the 2021-D Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Innovation Dollar (453,025) and the most plentiful the 2021-D American Indians in the U.S. Military Native American Dollar (1,260,000).

Every 2021 circulation issue at a glance

• 2021-D Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Innovation Dollar: 453,025 struck, 22nd lowest of 58 in the series.
• 2021-P New York: Erie Canal Innovation Dollar: 453,750 struck, 24th lowest of 58 in the series.
• 2021-D New York: Erie Canal Innovation Dollar: 453,825 struck, 26th lowest of 58 in the series.
• 2021-P North Carolina: Higher education Innovation Dollar: 454,150 struck, 28th lowest of 58 in the series.
• 2021-P New Hampshire: In-home video game system Innovation Dollar: 454,325 struck, more than 53% of the series' 58 issues.
• 2021-D New Hampshire: In-home video game system Innovation Dollar: 454,425 struck, more than 54% of the series' 58 issues.
• 2021-D North Carolina: Higher education Innovation Dollar: 454,450 struck, more than 56% of the series' 58 issues.
• 2021-P Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Innovation Dollar: 454,975 struck, more than 58% of the series' 58 issues.
• 2021-P American Indians in the U.S. Military Native American Dollar: 1,260,000 struck, 4th lowest of 46 in the series.
• 2021-D American Indians in the U.S. Military Native American Dollar: 1,260,000 struck, 5th lowest of 46 in the series.
• 2021-P Kennedy Half Dollar: 5,400,000 struck, 43rd lowest of 116 in the series, up from 2,300,000 in 2020.
• 2021-D Kennedy Half Dollar: 7,700,000 struck, 45th lowest of 116 in the series, up from 3,400,000 in 2020.

The 10 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Lincoln Shield Cent: Reverse proofs, West Point cents and the pandemic

In 2018 the San Francisco Mint made a reverse proof cent for a 50th anniversary set, with frosted fields and mirror designs. In 2019 West Point struck cents for the first time with a W mint mark in three finishes: uncirculated, proof and reverse proof, each included as a bonus in a collector set. These W cents quickly became popular.

The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 disrupted the flow of coins. Businesses posted signs asking for exact change. The Federal Reserve and the Mint formed a task force to address the circulation problem, while cent production stayed between about 3.5 and 4 billion a year at each mint. Most circulating coins of this era look new, but proofs and special finishes are the main collector focus.

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Return to Monticello Nickel: Sharp swings in output

Production stayed near 770 to 800 million at each mint in 2021 and 2022, then eased in 2023. In 2024 output dropped sharply to 79.9 million at Philadelphia and 32.9 million at Denver, with Denver even lower than its 2009 recession figure. The Denver total is the smallest for that mint in the Return to Monticello series by a wide margin.

In 2025 the Mint ended cent production. Nickel output rose again to 443.8 million at Philadelphia and 322.3 million at Denver. The cost to make a nickel remained well above five cents through these years. Proofs from San Francisco continued, with mintages falling to around 300,000 by 2025. Circulating coins are common, but the low mintage 2024 issues are worth setting aside when found.

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Roosevelt Dime: Recession lows and anniversary specials

The recession of 2009 cut demand sharply. The Mint struck only about 96.5 million dimes at Philadelphia and 49.5 million at Denver, the lowest combined total since 1955. Output recovered quickly. In 2015 a March of Dimes set paired a silver proof dime from West Point with a silver reverse proof dime from Philadelphia. A 2017-S enhanced uncirculated dime followed in a set marking the Mint's 225th anniversary.

Silver proof dimes changed from 90 percent to .999 fine silver in 2019. Circulation mintages stayed above one billion per mint every year from 2013 through 2023, then dropped in 2024 to about 307 million at Philadelphia and 248 million at Denver. Output in 2025 stayed well below the earlier peaks. Low mintage West Point and San Francisco specials are the scarce coins of this era, while off-center strikes and clipped planchets are the usual finds in modern rolls.

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Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter: A one-year reverse between two programs

When the America the Beautiful series ended, the Mint used a single new reverse for the rest of 2021: General George Washington crossing the Delaware River on the night of December 25, 1776, before his surprise attack on Hessian troops at Trenton. The design by Benjamin Sowards shows Washington standing in the boat as it pushes through the ice, with the words CROSSING THE DELAWARE.

The reverse was used for just one year. In 2022 the American Women quarters began, paired with Laura Gardin Fraser's portrait of Washington on the obverse. Philadelphia and Denver struck the circulation coins, so these quarters are easy to find in change and collectors look mainly for uncirculated examples with full, unmarked surfaces.

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Kennedy Half Dollar: Collector-only production

From 2002 the Mint stopped releasing halves into circulation and struck them only for collectors, sold in rolls, bags and sets. Mintages stayed between about 1.7 and 3.8 million per mint through 2012. In 2014 the Mint marked the 50th anniversary with a 1964-2014 dual-dated gold proof from West Point, 73,772 struck, along with silver versions from all four mints.

Silver proofs switched to .999 fine silver in 2019. Output for collectors rose again after 2020, with Philadelphia striking 30.2 million in 2023. Business strikes of these years are rarely found in change, so most surviving coins are uncirculated, often still in original Mint rolls or packaging. Silver proofs of the 2020s were made in smaller numbers than those of earlier decades.

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Morgan Silver Dollar: A century off and the modern collector coins

After 1921 the Morgan design went unused for a full century. No Morgan dollars were struck from 1922 through 2020 while the Peace dollar and later dollar designs took its place. Federal legislation brought the design back for its centennial.

In 2021 the Mint issued centennial Morgan dollars in .999 fine silver from Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. Philadelphia also struck pieces with CC and O privy marks honoring the Carson City and New Orleans mints. A shortage of silver blanks halted the program for 2022. It resumed with collector Morgans dated 2023 and 2024 from Philadelphia and San Francisco, including proof and reverse proof versions in 2023. These modern coins weigh 26.73 grams and are sold only as collector issues.

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Peace Silver Dollar: The 1964-D melt and the modern revival

No Peace dollars were struck from 1936 until 1965, when Denver produced more than 316,000 coins dated 1964 under a congressional authorization. Rising silver prices made the plan unpopular and all were ordered melted. None are known to exist legally. Any coin offered as a 1964-D Peace dollar should be treated as a fantasy piece.

The design returned in 2021 as a .999 fine silver collector coin from Philadelphia, recreating the high relief look of 1921. After a pause in 2022 caused by a silver blank shortage, Peace dollars dated 2023 and 2024 were struck at Philadelphia and San Francisco. These coins weigh 26.73 grams and were sold directly to collectors. Nearly all survive in pristine condition in their original packaging.

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Sacagawea Dollar: Code talkers to Ely Parker

The later designs turned to individual people and modern service: the Code Talkers in 2016, Sequoyah in 2017, Jim Thorpe in 2018, Native Americans in space in 2019, Elizabeth Peratrovich in 2020, Native American military service in 2021 and Ely S. Parker in 2022. Each coin page here explains its own design.

Mintages in these years were small by circulating standards and most coins went to collectors or to banks that ordered them, so you will rarely see one in change. Look for coins straight from mint rolls: the golden surface marks and tarnishes easily and a clean, bright coin is what collectors look for.

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